--- title: "Market Research: Keep Your Head in the Sand" id: "16003" type: "post" slug: "market-research-keep-your-head-in-the-sand" published_at: "2013-02-22T18:44:30+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:42:45+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/02/22/market-research-keep-your-head-in-the-sand/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/02/22/market-research-keep-your-head-in-the-sand.md" excerpt: "Why knowing everything about the business you're entering isn't always a good idea. Also: how an electronic musician's app could inspire your next light show." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Advertising" - "AssociationsNow" - "digital media" - "Leadership" - "Marketing" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Market Research: Keep Your Head in the Sand You may be entering a new market, but sometimes it helps to leave the market research for later. That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links: **Ignorance is bliss. No, really:** Trying to take your association’s business in a new direction? Sometimes it helps *not* to know everything about it, *Inc.*’s Eric V. Holtzclaw argues. How’s that? Well, with less research, [you can bring fresh eyes to a problem (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/eric-v-holtzclaw/want-to-start-a-company-stay-as-ignorant-as-possible.html) . “If you have no experience in a space, you create new approaches to a problem that others might not have considered,” he writes. “You may bring something from another industry or experience to your current situation that is more appropriate.” Does that sound counterintuitive or like it makes sense? **Indie inspiration:** For a big, communal, colorful moment at your next annual meeting, check out what experimental electronic musician Dan Deacon has been doing at his shows lately. Deacon, working with members of his Wham City art collective, [created iPhone and Android apps (opens in a new tab)](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dan-deacon/id536378735?mt=8) that flash lights on a user’s screen based on the music being played. With hundreds of phones in a dark room, the effect can be pretty stunning, as shown above on his recent *Jimmy Kimmel Live* appearance. The musician tried it on a recent tour, and after the tour’s success, [the art collective recently launched a version (opens in a new tab)](http://whamcitylights.com/index.html) tailored for outside events. ([The Catalyst Conference (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cometocatalyst.com/) , a multicity religious conference targeted at young adults, [has already taken advantage (opens in a new tab)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e5TAo1dS0vs) of it.) If you’re looking for a light show that gets the audience involved, you might want to try this. **How much do those ads cost?** What kind of budget would you need to buy those big-scale online media ads? [An article in Digiday spells it out (opens in a new tab)](http://www.digiday.com/publishers/what-online-ads-really-cost/) , noting companies can find themselves paying $450,000 for a takeover of the Yahoo! homepage, $100,000 for a set of five sponsored articles on Buzzfeed, or $125,000 for a branded mobile app. But this comes with a caveat. One ad buyer told *Digiday*‘s Jack Marshall that “rate cards are a bit of a sham in digital. No one pays the going rate for anything, and sellers try to make every agency believe they have the lowest rate, and that they’re the smartest, most strategic and a pleasure to work with.” Does your online magazine’s ad rate card sound anywhere close to this? What are you reading today? Tell us about it in the comments. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Advertising](https://associationsnow.com/tag/advertising/) [#digital media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/digital-media/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoPardotFionta 1 26 20211February 1, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/02/01/pardotfionta-1-26-20211/) - [VideoRecap from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/19/recap-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoDaily Recap: Day 1 from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/daily-recap-day-1-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F02%2F22%2Fmarket-research-keep-your-head-in-the-sand%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !